Visiontek HD4870 Review

Introduction:

Recently we took a look at the PowerColor HD 4870 which did very well at the launch of this new GPU. So after some time I can't help but wonder, are the manufacturers getting all of the bugs worked out for this awesome graphics card? Right now the HD 4870 cards are the pinnacle of ATI's lineup, taking the GTX 200 series head on for the top performer for gamers and enthusiasts alike. You wonder though, how does the performance score when the same chip is manufactured by two different companies. Will the scores vary or stay constant?

Today we are going to take a look at Visiontek's HD 4870 video card. Visiontek used the same reference design as the PowerColor HD 4870 we reviewed and there were some heat issues that concerned us. Has Visiontek addressed these issues? Will its card be better than the rest and possibly take over the GTX 260 or GTX 280? With these questions in mind, let's first take a better look at the graphics card.

Closer Look:

Visiontek uses a very intimidating design for its packaging. The faded alien head looks eerie with the glowing blue eyes, which like the hardware inside, means business. The front of the box highlights some of the features of the HD 4870, including the memory specification of GDDR5 memory. There is also a sticker claiming that the Visiontek Card provides the best visual experience for the game Mass Effect, however no game or demo is included. It would have been nice to have included so you can actually see for yourself instead of a marketing ploy. The back of the box shows more in depth features as well as what adapters are available on the card. On the sides you have at your disposal the system requirements as well as a detailed specifications list.

When you open the packaging you are presented with what I like to call a "Little Black Box," which seems appropriate with the alien head on the front. Inside this little black box are all of the goodies you have been waiting for. Inside is the HD 4870 card itself, a component video out dongle and S-Video dongle, a DVI to VGA adapter, a DVI to HDMI adapter, two 4-pin molex to 6-pin PCI Express power adapters, a Crossfire interconnect, driver CD with Catalyst 8.6, and the manual.

Now that everything is out of the box, let's take a better look at the card itself.